Education grad has full circle moment with U School

When Tianna Benak’s mother said she would go to university one day, she didn’t believe her — there was simply no history of university attendance in her family. At the time, even though she had thought about being a teacher, the work of navigating a difficult childhood left no clear path toward achieving educational, or even personal goals.   

Everything changed when her sixth grade class participated in the University of Alberta’s U School program, which brings students from socially vulnerable communities within Edmonton, Indigenous schools, and nearby rural schools to campus for a week-long immersion experience. It left such an impact, Tianna not only went on to earn a degree in elementary education, this January, she will be bringing her own fifth and sixth grade class to attend U School.

It will mark a full-circle moment for Tianna, who celebrated her graduation just this past June and is now teaching at St. Maria Goretti Catholic Elementary School, where she herself was once a student.   

Administered by the U of A Senate, the donor-supported U School program began in 2009-2010 and is rooted in the belief that university should be accessible to all students. The program offers teachers the opportunity to relocate their classroom to campus for a week of hands-on learning experiences. Sessions include presenters from a variety of disciplines eager to share their passion with visiting students, alongside activities custom-built around the teacher's application and the Alberta curriculum. There are also mentor volunteers, mostly university students, who serve as role models and provide assistance in the classrooms. 

Tianna volunteered with the U School program in the second year of her degree and continued to volunteer until her practicum began in her final year. Although her primary motivation was to pay forward the mentorship she had received, the experience proved to be just as uplifting for her. 

“It was a really positive experience,” she says. “As an education student, it can be difficult to find an opportunity to work with kids to find out if you are truly going down the right path. It really helped me, because as a student you’re always focused on your studies which can be isolating, so it was really nice to find a purpose, make a difference and see that all my effort was going toward something meaningful.”

Tianna points to daily journaling exercises as one of the U School activities that had the most significant impact on her personally, and later, as a teacher. At the end of each day, U School students reflect on their experiences and respond to specific writing prompts. The activity involves two-way communication, with teachers offering written feedback and mentor volunteers answering questions. She says these journaling sessions were instrumental in developing her writing stamina and improving her retention, and she is now using this lesson in her own classrooms, incorporating weekly journaling exercises and preparing her students for their upcoming U School experience. 

Learning their teacher was a former U School participant has significantly boosted their excitement, along with the possibility that one of their physical activities may include rock climbing at the Wilson Climbing Centre. 

“When you're a kid, you might have this idea of what a university student looks like from movies, and you’ll think, that’s not me,” says Tianna. “It wasn’t looking like that path was even on the table, but getting to talk with students and walking around campus, seeing that they're just people too, just like me, no matter what background they come from, it was pretty powerful. It started to feel like something I could work towards. I owe a lot to U School, and now I have my dream job!” 

To learn how you can volunteer or bring your class to U School, please visit our website. 

U School is made possible by our donors and supporters. Financial and in-kind support ensures that cost is never a barrier for the classes and schools who will most benefit from U School. To support the U School program, please visit our website.